MPs' expenses: Tom Watson to resign from Government

Tom Watson, a close adviser of Prime Minister Gordon Brown, is to quit as a
Cabinet Office minister, it has emerged.

Tom Watson, a close adviser of Prime Minister Gordon Brown

By Andrew Porter, Political Editor

4:16PM BST 02 Jun 2009

Mr Watson is set to stand down from the Government when Mr Brown's reshuffle takes place.

His departure is unexpected and is a further blow to the Prime Minister on a day when it became clear that Jacqui Smith, the Home Secretary, had told Mr Brown that she also wanted to stand down at the reshuffle.

Mr Watson was no stranger to controversy. He resigned as a junior defence minister in September 2006 as part of a concerted effort to force Tony Blair from office.

Mr Blair was furious at Mr Watson’s central role in organising a letter signed by other key allies of Mr Brown demanding Mr Blair indicated when he was going to stand down. Mr Watson achieved that aim and Mr Blair was forced to say he would be gone from Number 10 within a year – opening the way for Mr Brown to take over.

A former union fixer, Mr Watson was key figure in Mr Brown’s inner circle. But he was dragged into the Damian McBride affair – although he was not copied into the email sent by Mr Brown’s spin doctor.

Mr Watson, the minister for digital engagement, spent the maximum of £4,800 in a single year on food, and had his expenses cut after buying a set of dining room chairs that exceeded the limit set by the fees office.

He was forced to defend the appearance of a receipt for a "pizza wheel" on a Marks & Spencer receipt he submitted, saying ti was given as a free gift after he went on a £150 spending spree at the store.

He also used his parliamentary allowances, along with fellow Labour minister Iain Wright, to lavish more than £100,000 on a shared central London crash pad since the last general election.

Mr Wright, a junior housing minister, asked the Commons fees office if he could buy furniture at taxpayers' expense even before he had purchased a property, saying that he wanted to use up all his allowance for the year.

He was told that for form's sake he should wait until after the general election to see if he would be returned as an MP.

Both men later claimed for a half share of the legal costs involved in the original purchase of the Westminster mansion flat, and then the fees involved in buying the freehold of the property a short time later.

By purchasing the freehold, the MPs will have added significantly to the value of the apartment, but are under no obligation to pass on to the taxpayer any profits made when they sell the flat in future.